Hello,
can somebody tell me if there is somthing like the unforgivable sin or the capital sin?
Jesus said that the sin against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable (if I remember well), what did He mean?
And what is the sin against the Holy Spirit? How do I know wether I comitted that sin?
How does that work with universalism?
Thank you very much
Daniel
We discuss the sin against the Holy Spirit several times a year on the forum; it isn’t hard to find examples. Here is one recent exegetical analysis adding up the narrative and thematic contexts from both Matthew’s and Mark’s account (with some crossover to Luke’s account).
Principally, any sin is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Mere doctrinal blasphemies (much less mere doctrinal mistakes) don’t count as unforgivable, though, or Saints Peter and Paul would have never been forgiven, much less brought in as apostles and evangelists.
So if any blasphemy can (and according to the same scriptures will) be forgiven, even blasphemies against God, under what special circumstances might someone not be forgiven sin?
First, generally, no one can be forgiven of sin so long as they insist on continuing to sin. That doesn’t mean God isn’t trying to lead them to repentance, and intending to forgive their sins, it just cannot be accomplished as long as the sinner refuses to come out of any sin, even the smallest. And again, this cannot be merely a mistake, it has to be a case where the person can see the right according to the light they already have and yet still refuses to do what is right. One example of this principle would be where someone is willing to contradict what they themselves would agree is right in order to oppose someone else on the same ground. And that’s what the Pharisees are certainly doing in this scene, which Christ explicitly criticizes them for: by their own standards someone exorcising demons must be working with God, and if one of their own disciples had to exorcise someone more than once they’d still say so. But they’re so opposed to Jesus they’re willing to contradict their own standards to accuse Him of working with Satan instead of God. As long as someone is in that mindset, they aren’t looking for truth, much less to correct their behavior, and are even actively setting themselves against correcting their behavior. They can’t be seeking for God to save them from all their sins, so God cannot forgive them yet, and won’t so long as they continue to insist on that.
Another example of the principle would be someone who seeks for God’s salvation for themselves, but denies God’s salvation for other people. So long as someone denies God’s salvation from sin, such a person is sinning impenitently and God cannot complete their salvation yet. It would naturally be even worse if such a person regarded God’s salvation from sin as actually being from Satan! – and once again, that was what the Pharisees were doing in that scene.
A person can recognize these things and still not be a Christian universalist, of course – I learned them first from C. S. Lewis, who wasn’t himself a universalist (though he was closer than many Christian theologians, and had himself learned them from some Christians who had been universalists.) But notice how the last point connects with Christian universalism: to deny that the Lord saves anyone, is effectively the same as denying the name of “Jesus” (“The Lord Saves” or “The Lord Is Salvation”), and we’re repeatedly warned in the Gospels by Jesus in many ways that so long as we deny salvation for other people we ourselves will not be saved. In short, if we deny the Lord God saves, then how can we be saved?
But every version of non-universalism one way or another denies that God saves at least some sinners from sin!
Now, I expect that God doesn’t hold that against a person who makes it in a mere error of good faith. But God would have to hold it against a person whose attitude of heart was such that they hated their brother with the hate of a hopeless unforgiveness.
I think the “unforgivable sin” is the absolute rejection of God. As long as a person rejects God, he cannot receive the forgiveness of God. In context, Jesus is speaking of those who are so hardened by religion against God that they attribute a bonifide miracle of God as being from the Devil. Such a person will continue a downward spiral until they repent.
From another perspective, sins that are not “forgiven” must be paid for. Though I’m a loving father sometimes I facilitate my children “reaping what they sow” in order to teach them to stop sowing bad seed. And just because a sin is not forgiven does not mean that the penalty for that sin need be ECT. God is just and merciful, and any sins that we need pay for fully are meeted out in justice and love. And ultimately the wages of sin is “death”, not ECT.
Jesus defined the unforgivable sin within the context of it’s citation as well as related scriptures…
We are all familiar with the greatest sin, as described by Jesus himself. But if we read all the cross references to this discourse, those contexts add many details which clarify how (and in what situation) one commits the unforgivable sin.
It first helps to view the circumstance, when Jesus decided to mention this sin.
First, at Matt.12:31,32; Jesus describes this sin as “speaking” “against the Holy Spirit”. What sort of speech, is demonstrated in Matt.12:22,24?..
"Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
By what means did Jesus perform this deed? By means of Holy Spirit! What “speaking” against that, did the religious leaders commit?
They attributed the work of Holy Spirit within Christ, as demonic (John8:48).
Jesus continues at Matt.12:31-33…
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."
Jesus added here, that it is NOT the sin/blasphemy against the human vessels in which Holy Spirit dwells (1Cor.6:19; John14:17; Matt.10:20; Rom.8:11; 1Cor.3:16); (although this “grieves” spirit)
but rather,
it is the failure to acknowledge that Holy Spirit is genuinely within them,
and to instead, attribute the spirit within them to the evil one.
This was what the religious leaders did with Christ (Matt.12:24)…And they spoke publicly about that charge.
And then in the very next verse,
Jesus adds that we recognize trees by their fruit (Matt.12:33; Matt.7:17,20). What does this have to do with sinning against Holy Spirit?
Jesus is saying that when there are two religious sides, each accusing the other of having an evil spirit (John8:44,48)…
that we will be able to discern the false prophets from the true (John7:17; 1Cor.11:19),
those who genuinely possess Holy Spirit from those who don’t,
by their “fruit”.
(to learn what fruit Jesus meant, see the scriptures at pearl-finetrees.blogspot.com).
(The scriptural tool to use in identifying the true from the false prophets, is contained within the article)
However, Jesus is also teaching us, that the false prophets who publicly slander the spirit which leads the genuine, are in fact, committing an unforgivable sin.
Now if we look further to the additions the other writers afford us, this understanding widens.
Sure enough, at Mark3:28-30, we are told clearly what this sin is…
“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”— 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
If we move on to Luke12:10,11,12;
we can now apply that definition of this sin
(attributing the Holy Spirit within one of it’s vessels, to that same vessel as having an evil spirit),
to recognizing how this context can be committed long after Christ (“in the age to come” -Matt.12:32 C)…
“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 11 “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities (judicial committees), do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
In this account, Jesus links together this sin, not only to the miracles which HE performed, but also to the witness the genuine give when brought to trial (John16:2; Matt.10:25; John15:20). He links this sin to the vessels who genuinely possess Holy Spirit…the words they speak coming from Holy Spirit…and those words falling upon ears that are judging God’s genuine vessels. (Luke12:11,12)
After these faithful speak by means of God’s spirit (Matt.10:20)…
What will the verdict of these religious judges be?
Will they acknowledge that these ones being judged are genuine vessels of the Most High God, possess God’s Holy Spirit, and that their words are inspired expressions of scriptural Truth?
Or,
will they condemn and publicly brand (“speak” against) the spirit within these brothers of Christ, by
calling them Satanic agents? (Matt.12:24; 10:25)
If one considers how those currently being publicly judged and expelled (due to dissension with their formal organized religion),
are viewed for their faithfulness to God…would you describe the accusations as attributing a demonic spirit to these faithful?
Are those accusations being “spoken” publicly?
You see, sinning against the Holy Spirit is alive and well this very day.
Faithful anointed (and others) are waking up to Organizational idolatry, repenting, and taking their spirit-inspired stand for truth all over the world.
How are these labeled by their former Organization?
Is it not how Jesus himself was labeled in the moment he gave us these words?
**"because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” **(Mark3:30; Matt.10:25)
By the fact that Jesus himself said that this is the worst sin,
and that powerful cults are currently practicing it
each and every time someone is expelled and shunned for their loyalty to the God of Truth,
and that person is publicly labeled as having an unclean, lethal, wicked spirit, (and so, must be avoided at all cost),
that sin is committed.
History is rife with atrocities against “heretical” visionaries, who may very well have been inspired of God.
There is one more thing I myself learned from all these scriptures…
Jesus said,
“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven." Luke12:10
What wise and considerate foresight, for Jesus to make plain to us, that it is not sinning against religious authorities that is unforgivable,
despite that this is often the basis of the charge used against true Christians.
Was that not the same charge used against Christ?